Fresh-picked passion
NATALIE MIKLES World Scene Writer
07/27/2005
Tulsa World (Final Home Edition), Page D1 of Food

Local chefs embrace ‘from ground to the table’ concept

Walk through the parking lot, just past the Dumpster to catch a glimpse of the Palace Cafe’s garden. But watch your head. You have to duck past a shed and slide through a half-standing fence to get there.

There it is, right next to the baby blue jalopy with the propped up hood.

It’s not exactly what Chef Alice Waters had in mind when she envisioned the “from the ground to the table” approach of fine dining. But even this little garden would make the doyenne of the seasonal food movement proud.

Every afternoon around 4 o’clock, Chef James Shrader and one or two of the restaurant’s cooks cross the parking lot to pick tomatoes and snip herbs.

“I try to send out a different cook each day. It gives them an appreciation for the food,” Shrader said. “You can detach when you’re cooking, and not have as much respect for the food you’re working with.”

Going out to the garden reminds them that the food they’re cooking has a beginning and an end, and that it doesn’t come from a box.

Chef Bill Harris of Thyme-An American Bistro has the same experience. Harris’ summer menu is built from the garden up.

Harris and his parents tend an expansive garden on his parents’ property in Wagoner. The garden is as full of garden standards (tomatoes, corn, peppers) as it is experiments.

This summer, the Harrises are playing with different types of beans and peanuts. Last summer it was Asian vegetables, which, they now know, don’t appreciate Oklahoma’s heat.

The garden is Harris’ muse for his Summer Supper Club (a Friday and Saturday night dinner service, no membership required), his lunch menu and his Thyme Elves premade dinner service.

Last week, Harris was considering what he was going to do with the pumpkins and squash, still fresh with dirt, sitting in his kitchen.

Just the sight of those fresh vegetables is inspiring to Harris and to Shrader.

Shrader places his just-picked tomatoes and herbs in the kitchen’s windowsill. In some ways, it makes life in the kitchen easier. The chopped herb salad, featuring herbs from the garden, is a staple for the summer, and homegrown tomatoes and basil make their way into lots of dishes.

Shrader is saving money on his herb bill, using his own sage for breakfast sausage instead of buying (and sometimes wasting) it.
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But it’s a lot of work dealing with the challenges of the Palace Cafe’s urban garden. Stray cats like to prowl the garden at night, looking for loose tomatoes. And either a prankster or a thief stole three tomato plants from the garden a couple of weeks ago.

Shrader found the space through one of his cooks. The cook, who lives in a nearby apartment, asked his landlord if he could use a small piece of land next to the parking lot for a garden. He tilled it, raised it and planted it, and decided to also share it with the restaurant.

Geoffrey VanGlabbeek, chef de cuisine at the Palace, said customers who find out about the little garden love the concept. The tomatoes they thought were good become splendid once they know where they came from.

And at Thyme, Harris loves it when customers bring him jars of chutney or preserves from their own gardens. They want to share with him what he has shared from his family’s garden.

This recipe from the Palace Cafe serves one, but can easily be doubled. Use your best olive oil.

Tomato Capellini Pomodoro

1 cup capellini, cooked
1/2 cup tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Romano cheese
1/4 cup white wine
1 basil bouquet
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Sweat garlic, pepper flakes and tomato. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add white wine and saute for additional 2 minutes. Add capellini. Saute for 1 minute, season with salt and pepper, and stir in basil. Present in a heated pasta bowl. Garnish with Romano cheese and basil bouquet.

Bill Harris serves this Puerto Rican condiment over pork, chicken or steak.

Sofrito

3 large green bell peppers
2 garlic cloves
1 medium yellow onion
1 bunch of cilantro
2 hot peppers (jalapeno, banana pepper or Anaheim)
1/4 Cup of vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Wash all peppers first. Chop the bell peppers into medium dice and place in food processor. Slice the garlic. Chop the onion. Chop the cilantro leaves without the stems. Place all three in the processor.

2. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds if you want a milder taste. Keep the seeds if you like it spicy. Chop the peppers and add to the processor. Blend the ingredients and slowly add the oil to make a loose paste.

Note: For sofrito con queso, crumble 1/3 cup of Cojita cheese at the end of processing. The cheese will give some body to this traditionally watery condiment. Place the sofrito con queso on the meat and broil for 5 minutes.
James Shrader likes to serve this salad with Pinot Grigio. It makes four salads, and comes to just about six perfect bites per serving.

Chopped Herb Salad

2 cups field greens
1 cup micro greens
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch basil
20 sprigs fresh chives
1 bunch tarragon
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Pour lime juice into a small stainless steel bowl. Whisk vigorously while slowly pouring in olive oil. Rough chop herbs and toss with the greens. Add tomato and enough lime dressing to coat the greens. Toss. Serve immediately.
The potato in Bill Harris’ soup gives it a creamy consistency.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

3 large cucumbers
1 medium potato
1 clove garlic
1 medium white onion
1 tablespoon fresh dill
2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup milk
Salt and white pepper, to taste

1. Peel a medium potato and chop into small pieces. Boil in water until tender. Drain the liquid and slightly cool. The potato gives the soup some body and creaminess.

2. Peel and seed your cucumbers. Chop and place in the food processor. Seeding and peeling will decrease the bitterness in your soup. Slice the garlic. Peel the onion and chop into medium pieces. Add to the processor. Blend the ingredients a little and slowly add the heavy cream. Add the potato and the dill.

3. Depending on the water content of your cucumbers, adjust the consistency with milk until you achieve “soup consistency.” Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Chill for 1 hour and serve in glasses to show off your wonderful fresh soup.

At the Palace Cafe, James Shrader serves this with white fish or grilled meats. It can also be used as a condiment with spicy dishes like lamb curry.

Charmoula

1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
3 bunches cilantro, chopped
3 bunches parsley, chopped
Juice of 3 lemons
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup golden balsamic vinegar

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 1-gallon sauce pot. Add garlic and tomato. Simmer 5 minutes. Season with a touch of salt and pepper.

2. Transfer the tomato to the food processor. Add remaining ingredients and blend. While blending tomato and herb mixture, slowly drizzle in olive oil to emulsify. Adjust seasonings with golden balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Natalie Mikles 581-8486
natalie.mikles@tulsaworld.com
Related Photos & Graphics

Head Chef and owner of the Palace Cafe James Shrader smells basil freshly picked from the herb garden behind his Cherry Street restaurant. He heads to the garden every afternoon to pick tomatoes and herbs for that evening’s meals.
JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World